Kerala legislator P.V. Anvar has moved the Supreme Court highlighting the increasing and serious challenges of human-wildlife conflict, drawing attention to the deaths of 13 people in Tamil Nadu and Kerala after fatal encounters with wild animals.
The MLA from Nilambur constituency in Kerala urged the court to direct the Centre to frame a technology-based strategy and action plan to reduce human-wildlife conflict at the national level and in selected States.
Mr. Anvar said the Union government should also create a national corpus fund for the compensation to the victims of human-wildlife conflict.
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“Human-wildlife conflict occurs where the needs of human beings and wildlife meet at a common point, like in the case of space, crops and other natural resources, especially in most densely populated States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, etc. The unscientific approach of afforestation in the country further worsens the situation,” the petition, filed through advocate Subhash Chandran K.R., submitted.
Kerala‘s significant forest cover, encompassing nearly 30% of its area, juxtaposed with densely populated human settlements and agricultural plantations near wildlife habitats, sets the stage for frequent human-animal conflicts. The geographical area of the State is covered by forests, affecting the lives of nearly 50 lakh families, particularly settler farmers near forested areas.
Since 2016, over 909 people have lost their lives in Kerala due to conflicts with animals, underscoring the urgency for effective mitigation strategies. As per the State Forest Department‘s study, Kerala witnessed human-wildlife conflict across 1,004 areas.
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The Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on February 14, 2023, pressing for an amendment in the wildlife protection laws to prevent human-wildlife conflicts in the State. Among other things, the resolution has sought the Central law to empower Chief Forest Conservators to use lethal force to liquidate wild animals that trespass on residential localities and pose an imminent threat to human life.
The immediate reason for filing the petition, the MLA said, was the death of five people in Kerala’s Idukki; including a forest officer, in Wayanad; a tribal woman in Thrissur; a farmer in Kozhikode; an autorickshaw driver in Malappuram; and two people in Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu.
He said the problem of fatalities caused in wild animal conflicts was a pan-India problem. Data placed in the Parliament in December 2023 showed that 293 people were killed in tiger attacks across 13 States during 2018-2022.
